KNEES

In my last post, I mentioned the numerous 'bandaged ' knees in my photo of the Ladies' Group. I have encountered more damaged knees since that time, so I gladly enter into more details on this subject, with warnings of what movements may further endanger the stability of these important joints. Let us first of all, be quite clear, that knee joints are 'hinge' joints which means, that they have evolved to move mainly within one plane of movement. They are unlike shoulder & hip joints, which are described as 'ball & socket' joints, & which obviously have a much greater range of movement in space. Here, I introduce the first photo above the text - six volunteered undamaged knees, whose owners, you are free to guess!

What must we do, to preserve our knees in these pristine states? I will attempt to answer this question as best I can, with some reference to injuries I myself suffered back in year 2005. My indiscretions were, first of all, to play too many hours per week, with a fair proportion of these hours on hard court rather than the kinder clay surfaces. Ignoring the first signs of damage, I was then over-assiduous in following the professional instruction provided in a restaurant SALSA evening (epoch of Fabien & Guilène - for those who go back so far). The next photo shows something of the warm ambiance of that evening - which may perhaps explain any undue exuberance we showed. Study the lower leg movement in this dance, & you may imagine the injuries sustained!

For more normal daily pursuits, here are a few warning remarks, to help you preserve those valuable knees:

1. Be especially careful, when stepping in & out of the bath, not to slip on the dangerously wet surfaces.

2. When walking, keep your leg movements in correct vertical planes & avoid irregular surfaces. Do not wobble!

3. Avoid being offered a lift in over-expensive car front seats, such as those of Aston Martin, Mercedes, &c : you may manage to ease yourself into one of those low-lying seats, but the effort of extracting your two legs simultaneously from that position, may prove fatal to those precious knee ligaments.

4. Avoid buying one of the said vehicles.

5. Practise cycling as often as possible.

6. Swim as much as you can, but never using the breast stroke, which has an inconvenient leg movement.

7. Don't sit with your knees crossed.

8. Don't listen to nonsense about acupuncture, but if you really enjoy having needles stuck into you, it can't do you much harm.

9. If you are really convinced on the merits of ingesting compounds such as 'glucosamine' daily,

keep on as long as you like - they are not particularly poisonous.

10. Consult a good physiotherapist, who may give you daily exercises to develop muscles surrounding your knees. (This worked for me.)

Good luck with your articulations & your tennis!